Dakota Beacon

My granddaughter (she is 12 going on 16) and I were having a little talk about  the celebration and meaning of Christmas. She slowly shook her head of strawberry blonde hair (more like a lion’s mane) and with a melancholy tone in her voice, lamented the fact that so many of her middle-school friends seemed to have no sense of what Christmas really is.

To her (although she’s not afraid to tell you what she wants this year), Christmas begins with Christ and who He is and why He came as a tiny human.  

To her, it seems there are so may other messages out there that detract from the purpose of the holiday.  She would like it better if it were different. I had to admit to her that I felt much the same way and we both decided there might be away to share with those who hadn’t thought of Christ in Christmas or if the birth of Christ was an afterthought.  

The conversation got me thinking as to how I would approach some of my friends and colleagues.  I think the discussion might begin with a question or two of them to draw them out of the chaos for a few moments.  Maybe something like “What do see in people at Christmas that you don’t notice at other times of the year?”  

Maybe they would see what I’ve always noticed. It isn’t a big awakening or a huge event, it is in the little things. Little things like stopping to help someone with a walker by holding a door, or when my dad threw an extra $20 down for a tip when a waiter looked tired or having the urge to call and talk to a family member I haven’t talked to for a while.  

You know what I mean. You’ve seen it too.

And I thought long and hard about how I could narrow the gap between those little things—those little glimpses of goodness in people and the original “reason for the season.” (By the way—this is not normal for me to be so reflective – I usually look for my wife to go here—she’ s the one who won the prize in 6^th grade for the best “essay” on the meaning of Christmas!  She would be happy to know I am at least capable of reflection before speaking!)  Seriously, I really wanted a strategy.  

It wasn’t until I overheard my niece (who is 18) talking with my granddaughter that I felt like I got it. She was having a similar conversation with the younger girl about letting people find their way into the Christ story by seeing our actions and using fewer words, and using a message of our actions rather than a more negative tone about “not getting it.”

She did a good job at getting to the “Big Thing” by talking about it as a response to the greatest gift ever given to the human race.  Maybe Christmas doesn’t have to begin with Christ, but it can change someone’s whole life if it ends there. 

l

Emineth is a North Dakota native businessman and political activist. He is a former executive director and chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party. Emineth has served on the Republican National Committee and chaired numerous presidential campaigns in North Dakota. He is the host of “The Legislature Today” and “Open Range” daily TV shows on BEK. He is a serial entrepreneur and has 40-plus years of business experience with multi-national companies. He has traveled the world extensively and has served as CEO and president of mid-tier companies.